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I want to expand my solar system so i don't have two separate systems to monitor. Also i don't have room for another breaker for a separate solar system. My original solar company went out of business and everyone wants to quote a separate system despite my original warranty has expired. Is there any advantages of a separate system over expanding my existing system ? I have enphase m250 micro-inverters on each panel.
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It comes down to what the local companies are willing to do. Understandably they do not want to support an old system that they did not install. Why they don't simply charge for a "certification" of the existing system is beyond me.
In essence with microinverters each panel is a "system" and providing AC to the grid tie in unit. Adding more panels with microinverters is the simplest approach if you have no plans for adding battery backup.
It is not rocket science and any licensed electrician should be able to add in the new panels. Mounting them is a separate task and a roofing contractor can do that work well enough. -
On a related note, I have read about the solar install companies having special permissions to tweak settings and so forth which the homeowner cannot do, if I understand it correctly. But what happens then if the install company goes out of business, as has happened in your case? Is it just a matter of another company plugging their computer in and controlling it that way, or ? ? ?
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Do you know that if you enlarge your existing solar system by > 10% or up to 1 STC kW (whichever is greater) you will be kicked out of your existing NEM agreement ?
If your original warranties have expired (which run at least 10 yrs. in CA) I'd guess you may still be on NEM 1.0. If so, that's a good place to be, at least for now.
I'd read up on what SDG & E can and cannot do under the NEM agreementt your system falls under before you do something that your actions can unknowingly screw up.Comment
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